The Immortal That Wants To Die

ZEHEN

The air was sharp with cold, thick with unspoken tension as Mai and I stepped outside, trailing behind the redhead...or whatever her name was. The moment we left my apartment, a hundred eyes locked onto us. Their stares felt like blades, cutting through the space between us. Some were curious, others hostile. I couldn't tell if they wanted me dead or just wanted a fight. Maybe both.

A sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class waited ahead, but the journey to it felt far longer than it should have. The weight of mana in the air was suffocating, pressing down on us like an unseen force. I could feel my own unease creeping in, but Mai… she was terrified. Her hand shot out as if to grab mine, but at the last second, she latched onto my arm instead, her grip ironclad. She was shaking. It must've been her first time feeling mana this intense. It wasn't just power… it was pressure, the kind that made your instincts scream at you to run.

Then there was her father. She had mentioned him earlier, almost like a shield against the redhead, but the way she said it… it stuck with me. There had been hesitation, as if forcing the word out tasted bitter. A father's name should offer protection, yet for Mai, it felt more like a weight. One she didn't want to carry.

I didn't ask. Some things didn't need to be said to be understood.

A man dressed in an all-black suit stepped out of the car, moving with precision and discipline. Without a word, he opened the front passenger door for the redhead. She stepped inside with an air of absolute confidence, her every movement demanding attention. It was annoying, really. The way she carried herself, like she was untouchable, like she expected the world to bend around her. Not bothering to remember her name was probably the best decision I had made today.

The man then turned to us, opening the rear doors with the same quiet efficiency. Unlike the others around us, his presence wasn't suffocating or overbearing. There was something about him… something warm, almost reassuring. It wasn't the usual detached professionalism of a driver or bodyguard. It was subtle, but it was there.

Then, a sharp voice barked from inside the car. "Quit wasting time."

The warmth vanished in an instant. Without hesitation, he stepped aside, waiting for us to enter. Mai and I slid in, buckling up as the car took off, speeding through the city streets without hesitation.

As the buildings blurred past, something in the back of my mind stirred… memories, fragments of something important. Bit by bit, they surfaced, like pieces of a puzzle long forgotten.

The Divine Blessing—a gift from the Supreme One, bestowed upon humanity thousands of years ago. It was believed to be humanity's last hope in the war against the gods, a desperate measure for survival in an era where mortals had no chance on their own. Those were dark times. A world where the heavens waged war against the earth, where the gods were merciless, and where the weak were nothing more than casualties of a conflict they could never understand. To live in that age… was a fate worse than death.

I exhaled, my fingers resting against my chin as I turned my gaze to the window. Celestials....the name given to those who wielded the Divine Blessing. Unlike ordinary humans, they were the only ones capable of using magic. Their abilities were not learned, not studied....they were inherited, etched into their very existence by the Supreme One's will.

Some Celestials wielded elemental magic, manipulating the very forces of nature. Others bent the laws of space to their will, shaping reality itself. There were those who could control the flow of time or read the minds of others. Some had powers so mysterious, so unfathomable, that even Celestials themselves struggled to understand them. And there were many more.

The variety of their magic was endless, as varied as the stars in the sky. Each Celestial's power was unique, tied to their very soul and shaped by their connection to the Divine Blessing. But even with all their might, the true nature of these abilities remained a mystery… one that no mortal could fully comprehend.

But one thing was clear: magic belonged only to Celestials. And that made them something more… and something far more dangerous… than ordinary humans.

I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. "This so-called God of yours... is truly foolish to make mortals fight a war they were destined to succumb to," I muttered aloud, my words laced with bitterness. The more I thought about it, the more the resentment built inside me.

Up front, I could feel Scarlett's presence shift. A heavy pressure surged from her, a powerful aura that filled the car and nearly suffocated the air.

Mai trembled, her body shaking beside me, her eyes wide with fear as the aura intensified. Even the driver seemed to falter, his hands gripping the wheel tighter, the car shaking slightly. I could sense the tension building… Redhead was angry.

I glanced toward her, unfazed, but still annoyed. The driver, though fearful, tried to steady his voice. "Calm down, Miss Roseheart," he said, his words cutting through the oppressive energy.

Redhead's gaze flickered toward me, her aura fading as quickly as it had surged, but there was still an edge of cold fury in her eyes. I couldn't help but wonder what had triggered such a reaction. Was it my words, or had something else set her off? Either way, it was the truth that had to be said.

*****

The car glided toward a towering building, its massive structure surrounded by layers of security. As we passed through the imposing gates and came to a halt, Redhead wasted no time. She opened the door, her steps purposeful as she strode toward the entrance. I couldn't help but wonder… had my words actually gotten under her skin? The thought made me smirk, the curiosity lingering in the back of my mind.

The driver leaned over, his voice barely a whisper, yet filled with warning. "Be careful." I barely registered it, brushing off the caution. With Mai at my side, I stepped out of the car, unfazed.

As we walked through the entrance, a thought passed through my mind, a question I hadn't fully considered. It escaped my lips before I could stop it: "Did the elves go extinct?" The words felt hollow, slipping from me as if searching for an answer that didn't seem to exist.

Inside, we were greeted by a man dressed in a sharp suit, his glasses gleaming in the soft light. But it wasn't him that caught our attention. Behind him, towering above us, was a massive golden statue, hands clasped in an almost prayer-like gesture. Its face remained obscured, hidden in shadow, and its long robe cascaded to the ground like something out of a dream. There was something unnervingly lifelike about it, yet still, something unsettling.

The man's gaze shifted toward us, his voice breaking the silence. "I think that's enough staring at our father, don't you think?"

As he spoke, he casually swept a lock of silver-blue hair from his face, his presence commanding yet composed. But it was his eyes that struck me.....golden, gleaming like molten sunlight, as if they saw far beyond the present moment.

"I'm Adrien," he said with a slight smile, his voice smooth as silk but carrying an unmistakable weight of authority. "Welcome."

I took his hand, and the moment our fingers brushed, I felt it… his mana. It wasn't an overwhelming torrent like the redhead's, but it was undeniable. It radiated from him like a deep river, steady and constant, far stronger than anything I'd encountered before.

Adrien's gaze lingered, his golden eyes unreadable. "I hope you get along with the others."

The final words lingered in the air, each syllable heavier than the last. The weight of his gaze felt like it was pushing against me, urging me to walk into whatever came next.

I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be worth my time.